Sunday, January 23, 2011

A swirl of questions Saturday surrounded political provocateur Keith Olbermann's abrupt departure from MSNBC, the network he helped transform - by dint of his fiery eloquence and on-air presence - into the left's answer to Fox News.

For all his skill as a broadcaster and his undisputed value to the network, the Olbermann quality that appeared suddenly most relevant was this: He can be difficult to work with.

Iconoclastic and mercurial, Olbermann has often clashed with his employers, condemning - sometimes quite publicly - directives with which he has disagreed. His departure fit a pattern that has marked his 32-year career. He has had frequent run-ins with his bosses, most of which resulted in Olbermann leaving a job, including an earlier flameout with MSNBC in 1998. His nearly eight years hosting "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" was by far the longest he's lasted in a job during his career as a broadcaster.

Who knows. Maybe if the guy wasn't unhinged he may have kept a job longer. Best quote comes from someone who endured working with the moron at ESPN.

Over the course of his career, Olbermann transformed himself into a star political commentator after achieving fame as a sports broadcaster. His skills in front the camera and behind the mike were evident early, but so was his divalike behavior. While working for a TV station in Los Angeles in the late 1980s, he broke a bathroom door in anger when the station aired a promotional segment he felt was not up to standards.

After working his way up through stations in New York, Boston and Los Angeles, Olbermann gained national prominence in the 1990s as co-host of ESPN's "SportsCenter."

When Olbermann left ESPN after five years in 1997, it was clear there were hard feelings on both sides. A network official was quoted saying at the time: "He didn't burn the bridges here; he napalmed them."

No wonder the left loves this guy so much. They're typically as infantile as he is. Speaking of which, some are now blaming Bush for his firing.